I pulled myself to sitting, pressing my palms flat against the floor. We were definitely moving. I crawled back to the door, which I could make out by a tiny sliver of light shining through the edge. I pressed my ear against the wood, but the engine hum only got louder, drowning out any noise from the room.

I sat back and licked my lips. I was thirsty, and still hungry, and hot, and my shoulder ached. And I hadn’t thought about how I was going to get out of here.

There you go, Nikki, barging into places without a plan again.

Chris.

I shimmied to one side so I could get to my phone. Chris hadn’t texted me back. Hadn’t called me, either. If I’d been able to see anything, I was certain everything would be gray and black. I dialed his number. It rang and rang and eventually went to voice mail. I tried not to think about the body lying on the ground outside Rebecca Moreno’s house.

“Hey,” I whispered. “Just letting you know that I’ve set sail. I have no idea where we’re going or how long we’ve been moving. I’m safe.” I started to hang up, then thought better of it. “I hope you are too.”

I felt the movement slow, the engine noise lowering an octave and getting quieter. Now I thought I could hear a thump of bass. Music was being played somewhere. I also thought I could hear distant laughter. I pressed my face against the stripe of light and tried to see out. I could only see shifting shapes, which was really all I needed to see to know I was completely fucked. There was no way I was going to be able to come out from under the staircase without being noticed.

I eased back, resting against the wall. I could feel the thump of feet at the back of my head, as expensive shoes clomped up and down the stairs. I weighed my options, which seemed few and far between. Come out with figurative guns blazing, try to slip out stealthily, or just stay inside. My leg cramped, giving me the answer for the last option. I was clearly not very good at the second option. Which left just one.

I checked my phone again. Still nothing from Chris. I closed my eyes and bounced my head softly against the wall behind me.

“Think, Nikki, think.”

I turned on my phone flashlight and looked around. Like I’d thought, there was nothing but me, empty boxes, and the pipes and wires on the walls.

Wait. The pipes and wires on the walls.